Irrigation monitoring and control based on efficiency model

ABSTRACT

Technologies disclosed herein are provided for irrigation monitoring and controlling based on water usage monitoring and control using an efficiency model for a defined geographic region. The technology includes receiving a first and a second set of moisture sensor measurements from a set of moisture sensors located in a defined geographic region, and determining an amount of water that is applied to the defined geographic region at a time period between the first and the second set of moisture measurements. An efficiency model representing efficiencies of locations in the defined geographic region is obtained based on the first and second set of moisture measurements and the amount of water applied. Schedule information is generated based on the efficiency model that indicates time periods at which areas in the defined geographic region are to be watered.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to irrigation and, more specifically, tosystems and methods for monitoring and controlling water usage forirrigation purposes.

Description of the Related Art

Lawn care is an important practice to those who wish to maintain averdant lawn, but it is sometimes difficult to achieve an appropriatelevel of irrigation for a yard. Grass that does not receive enough waterover time may become discolored or even die. Over watering, on the otherhand, may not only kill the grass but will also deplete the soil ofoxygen, reducing fertility of the soil or promoting the growth of fungusor other undesirable flora. However, even when some areas of a lawn areappropriately irrigated, other areas may be over or under watered. Forinstance, different areas of a yard may receive different amounts ofsunlight, may have different soil compositions, or may retain moisturedifferently due to drainage. These and other factors may make some partsof a lawn more or less efficient to water than others. Over time, thesedifferences can lead to disparate results for different areas of a lawneven if the lawn is uniformly watered.

Determining when to water the lawn to account for these differences is acomplex challenge. Even if a sprinkler system is automatically turned onwhen a moisture level of one area of a yard is low, other areas of theyard may still receive water that does not need irrigation. Manuallyplacing and operating sprinklers in certain areas based on currentmoisture level of the areas requires significant attention and userpresence to place and activate sprinklers when needed. Even in scenarioswhere lawns may be automatically watered, such automatic watering may beunnecessary at times when the weather forecast indicates thatprecipitation for the area is likely in the near future. Moreover, suchapproaches do not consider the monetary cost of irrigation or thecumulative water usage for a residence in a given period of time.Further, an application that monitors water usage, moisture levels ofdifferent areas, and facilitates water usage scheduling via a userinterface appear to be unavailable in current outlets (e.g., GooglePlay, Apple App store). The aforementioned problems may extend to cropgrowth, gardening, and other settings in which plants have even moresensitivity to moisture content than grass.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method, may be summarized as including receiving, by a computer systemover a network, first moisture measurements from a set of moisturesensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at first locations in adefined geographic region at a first time; determining, by the computersystem, an amount of water applied to the defined geographic region overa first period of time after the first time; receiving, by the computersystem over the network, second moisture measurements from the set ofmoisture sensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a second time after thefirst period of time; generating, by the computer system, an efficiencymodel of the defined geographic region based on the set of firstmoisture measurements, the set of second moisture measurements, and theamount of water applied; generating, by the computer system, scheduleinformation indicating future periods of time at which water is to beapplied to areas in the defined geographic region based on theefficiency model; and sending the schedule information over the network.

The method may further include receiving information defining aplurality of zones of the defined geographic region and informationindicating the first locations of the set of moisture sensors; andassociating, in memory of the computer system, the first locations ofeach of the set of moisture sensors and the information defining theplurality of zones with areas in a region image corresponding to thedefined geographic region.

The method may further include receiving information identifying aplurality of zones of the defined geographic region and informationindicating second locations of a set of water distribution devices inthe defined region, wherein the amount of water is applied by the set ofwater distribution devices. The efficiency model may be generated basedon differences, for each of the set of sensors, between correspondingmeasurements of the set of second moisture measurements and the set offirst moisture measurements, and based on the amount of water appliedover the period of time.

The method may further include obtaining weather forecast informationfor the defined geographic region; receiving, by the computer systemover the network, third moisture measurements from the set of moisturesensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a third time after thesecond time; and generating the schedule information based on theefficiency model, the weather forecast information, and the thirdmoisture measurements. The schedule information may include instructionsfor a network device connected to a second network to transmit acommunication at a defined time causing one or more devices to applywater to the defined geographic region, and instructions for the networkdevice to transmit a communication at a second defined time causing theone or more devices to stop applying water to the defined geographicregion.

The method may further include receiving a communication indicatingamounts of water applied in the defined geographic region at one or moresecond periods of time after the first period of time; storing, inmemory, current cumulative usage information representative of theamounts of water applied at the one or more second periods of time; andtransmitting, to a second computing system over the network, anotification as a result of current cumulative usage exceeding a usagethreshold defined in the memory.

The method may further include determining, for each zone of theplurality of zones, a usage threshold based on the efficiency model andcumulative usage information representative of the amounts of waterapplied at one or more second periods of time after the first period oftime, wherein the scheduling information provides a schedule of waterusage below the usage threshold.

The method may further include determining, for each zone of theplurality of zones, a usage threshold based on the efficiency model andcumulative usage information representative of the amounts of waterapplied at one or more second periods of time after the first period oftime; receiving a communication indicating amounts of water applied inthe defined geographic region at one or more second periods of timeafter the first period of time; and transmitting, to a second computingsystem over the network, a communication indicating a violation of awater usage restriction as a result of determining that the amounts ofwater applied at the one or more second periods of time exceed the usagethreshold.

The method may further include receiving, by the computer system, overthe network, third moisture measurements from the set of moisturesensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a third time after thesecond time; and sending a communication causing a second amount ofwater to be applied to the defined geographic region in response toreceiving the third moisture measurements. The efficiency model mayinclude a plurality of efficiency metrics for the first locations in thedefined geographic region, the efficiency model being a data structurerepresentative of a response of soil at the first locations in thedefined geographic region to the application of amounts of water

A system may be summarized as including one or more processors; a firstnetwork adapter configured to communicate over a first network; andmemory storing a set of instructions that, as a result of execution bythe one or more processors, cause the system to receive, via the firstnetwork adapter, first moisture measurements by a set of moisturesensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at first locations in adefined geographic region at a first time; determine an amount of waterapplied to the defined geographic region over a period of time after thefirst time; receive, via the first network adapter, second moisturemeasurements from the set of moisture sensors indicating the amounts ofmoisture measured at the first locations in the defined geographicregion at a second time after the period of time; obtain scheduleinformation indicating future periods of time at which water is to beapplied to areas in the defined geographic region based on an efficiencymodel of the defined geographic region, the efficiency model beinggenerated based on the set of first moisture measurements, the set ofsecond moisture measurements, and the amount of water applied; and sendthe schedule information to a mobile device over the first network.

The system may further include a second network adapter configured tocommunicate over a second network, wherein the memory stores furtherinstructions that, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, cause the system to receive, from the mobile device over thefirst network, location information identifying a location of thedefined geographic region; and send, over the second network, a requestincluding the location information to a remote server to obtain a regionimage of the defined geographic region.

The instructions, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, may further cause the system to receive, from the mobiledevice over the first network, a communication including informationdefining a plurality of zones in the defined geographic region, andinformation indicating locations of one or more devices in the definedgeographic region; and define, based on the communication, areas in theregion image corresponding to the plurality of zones and devicelocations in the region image corresponding to the locations of the oneor more devices.

The instructions, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, may further cause the system to generate the efficiencymodel based on differences, for each of the set of sensors, betweencorresponding measurements of the set of second moisture measurementsand the set of first moisture measurements, and based on the amount ofwater applied over the period of time

The memory may store further instructions that, as a result of executionby the one or more processors, cause the system to obtain weatherforecast information for the defined geographic region; receive, overthe network, third moisture measurements from the set of moisturesensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a third time after thesecond time; and generate the schedule information based on theefficiency model, the weather forecast information, and the thirdmoisture measurements.

The memory may store further instructions that, as a result of executionby the one or more processors, cause the system to transmit acommunication, over the first network, at a defined time specified inthe scheduling information to one or more water distribution devices toapply water to the defined geographic region, and transmit acommunication at a second defined time specified in the schedulinginformation to stop applying water to the defined geographic region.

The system may further include a second network adapter configured tocommunicate over a second network, wherein the memory stores furtherinstructions that, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, cause the system to send, to a remote server over the secondnetwork, a request for the schedule information, the request includinginformation regarding the first moisture measurements, the secondmoisture measurement, and the amount of water applied to the geographicregion over the period of time; and receive, over the second network,the schedule information from the remote server in response to therequest.

The instructions, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, may further cause the system to calculate a moisturedifferential based on the set of first moisture measurements and the setof second moisture measurements, generate an efficiency model based onthe moisture differential and the amount of water applied, and generatethe schedule information based on the efficiency model.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that areexecutable on one or more processors of a system to cause the system toperform operations may be summarized as including receiving, by thesystem over a network, first moisture measurements by a set of moisturesensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at first locations in adefined geographic region at a first time; determining, by the system,an amount of water applied to the defined geographic region over aperiod of time after the first time; receiving, by the system over thenetwork, second moisture measurements from the set of moisture sensorsindicating amounts of moisture measured at the first locations in thedefined geographic region at a second time after the period of time;generating, by the system, an efficiency model of the defined geographicregion based on the set of first moisture measurements, the set ofsecond moisture measurements, and the amount of water applied;generating, by the system, schedule information indicating futureperiods of time at which water is to be applied to areas in the definedgeographic region based on the efficiency model; and sending theschedule information over the network to a mobile device.

The instructions may be executable to further cause the system to obtaininformation defining a plurality of zones of the defined geographicregion and information indicating the first locations of the set ofmoisture sensors; and associate, in memory of the computer system, thefirst locations of each of the set of moisture sensors and theinformation defining the plurality of zones with areas in a region imagecorresponding to the defined geographic region.

The instructions may be executable to further cause the system toreceive, over the network, third moisture measurements from the set ofmoisture sensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured at thefirst locations in the defined geographic region at a third time afterthe second time; and send a communication that causes a second amount ofwater to be applied to the defined geographic region in response toreceiving the third moisture measurements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environment in which devices interact to create a schedulefor watering areas in a defined geographic region according to one ormore embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a first screen of a user interface of a device in theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a second screen of a user interface of a device in theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a third screen of a user interface of a device in theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fourth screen of a user interface of a device in theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fifth screen of a user interface of a device in theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a method for obtaining schedule information for applying waterto the defined geographic region;

FIG. 8 is a method for generating an efficiency model of the definedgeographic region;

FIG. 9 is a method for registering devices and systems of theenvironment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a method for generating the schedule information; and

FIG. 11 is a method for notifying a user that water usage in the definedgeographic region exceeds a threshold.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description, along with the accompanying drawings, setsforth certain specific details in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that the disclosed embodiments may bepracticed in various combinations, without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, devices, materials, etc. Inother instances, well-known structures or components that are associatedwith the environment of the present disclosure, including but notlimited to the communication systems and networks and the environment,have not been shown or described in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring descriptions of the embodiments. Additionally, the variousembodiments may be methods, systems, media, or devices. Accordingly, thevarious embodiments may be entirely hardware embodiments, entirelysoftware embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardwareaspects.

Throughout the specification, claims, and drawings, the following termstake the meaning explicitly associated herein, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. The term “herein” refers to thespecification, claims, and drawings associated with the currentapplication. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,”“in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,”and other variations thereof refer to one or more features, structures,functions, limitations, or characteristics of the present disclosure,and are not limited to the same or different embodiments unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term “or” is aninclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the phrases “A or B, orboth” or “A or B or C, or any combination thereof,” and lists withadditional elements are similarly treated. The term “based on” is notexclusive and allows for being based on additional features, functions,aspects, or limitations not described, unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, themeaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include singular and plural references.

References to the term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”), as used herein,unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed asa nonempty collection comprising one or more members or instances.References to the term “subset” (e.g., “a subset of the set of items”),as used herein, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is tobe construed as a nonempty collection comprising one or more members orinstances of a set or plurality of members or instances.

FIG. 1 show an environment 100 in which irrigation of an area of landmay be monitored and/or controlled according to one or more embodiments.The environment 100 includes a mobile device 102 having memory storing aset of instructions 104 for implementing an application, a networkdevice 106, a remote server 108 communicatively coupled with datastorage 110, and a set of moisture sensors 112. The server 108 may beconnected to and communicate with the network device 106 and/or themobile device 102 over one or more networks 114, which may include acellular network, a wide area network, and the internet. The networkdevice 106, the set of moisture sensors 112, and the mobile device 102may be connected to and wirelessly communicate with each other over alocal area network (LAN) 116. The LAN 116 may include one or moreintermediate network nodes (e.g., repeaters) to help ensure reliablecommunications in the LAN 116

The environment 100 may also include a set of water flow measurementdevices 118 that measure an amount of water flowing to the definedgeographic region 202 (see FIG. 2) or a portion thereof over time. Thewater flow measurement devices 118 may include a disk meter, gear meter,paddle wheel meter, or any other known appropriate mechanism for gaugingan amount of water flowing through a volume. The water flow measurementdevices 118 may have threaded ends attachable to a spigot, hose, orother water source. In some embodiments, one of the water flowmeasurement devices 118 may be a water meter provided by a municipalwater utility. In some embodiments, one of the water flow measurementdevices 118 may be a device that connects with a water meter provided bya municipal water utility, obtains information therefrom regardingamounts of water flow, and provides the information to the networkdevice 106.

The water flow measurement devices 118 may also include a wirelesscommunication transmitter for transmitting information to the networkdevice 106 regarding measurements of an amount of water flow.Specifically, communications transmitted by the water flow measurementdevices 118 may include information representative of the amount ofwater flowing through a volume in a given period of time. The wirelesscommunication transmitter may include a Wi-Fi transmitter, an ANTtransmitter, a ZigBee® transmitter, a Bluetooth transmitter, radiofrequency transmitter, or other such short-range transmitter used tocommunicate over the LAN 116. The water flow measurement devices 118 mayalso be configured to transmit identification information specific tothe water flow measurement devices 118, such as an alphanumeric value orserial number associated with the respective water flow measurementdevice 118. Such identification information may be associated with eachcommunication sent by the water flow measurement devices 118. Thecommunications transmitted by the moisture sensors may be encodedaccording to any appropriate communication protocol, such as theBluetooth communication protocol, IEEE 802 protocol, or the ZigBeeprotocol. The moisture sensors 112 may include a rechargeable batteryand may include additional features to charge the battery, such as aphotovoltaic solar panel or a universal serial bus port.

In some embodiments, the water flow measurement device 118 may include awireless communication transceiver that is configured to receivecommunications according to the foregoing communication standards andprotocols (e.g., Bluetooth, ZigBee). The water flow measurement device118 may receive, from the network device 106 via the transceiver, arequest for the water flow measurement device 118 to provide informationregarding a current amount of water applied for a given time period. Forinstance, the water flow measurement device 118 may include memorystoring information regarding an amount of water flowing therethroughfor a given period of time, such as a billing cycle. In response to therequest, the water flow measurement device 118 may obtain and transmitthe requested water usage information to the network device 106.

The environment 100 may include a set of water distribution devices 120,such as a set of valves and/or a set of sprinklers or other similardevices that control the flow of or distribute water from a watersource. In some embodiments, the set of distribution devices 120 mayinclude a wireless receiver for communicatively coupling to the networkdevice 106 over the LAN 116 according to the short range wirelesscommunication protocols and methods described above (e.g., Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, ZigBee). In such embodiments, the distribution devices 120 may berespectively configured to selectively permit, prevent, or otherwisecontrol the flow of water therethrough in response to receivingcommunications from the network device 106. For instance, thedistribution devices 120 may include a set of sprinklers configured toselectively distribute water in response to receiving communicationsfrom the network device 106. As another example, the water distributiondevices 120 may include a set of valves sprinklers configured toselectively permit or prevent water flow therethrough in response toreceiving communications from the network device 106. In someembodiments, the sprinklers may be manually operated conventionalsprinklers.

In some embodiments, a water distribution device 120 may be combinedwith a water flow measurement device 118. The combination device mayselectively remotely permit and prevent the flow of water therethroughand also measure an amount of water flowing therethrough.

The network device 106, the set of moisture sensors 112, the set ofwater flow measurement devices 118 (if included), the set of waterdistribution devices 120 (if included), and the mobile device 102 may belocated in a defined geographic region 202, such as a residentialproperty. The defined geographic region 202, for example, corresponds toa contiguous lot of land on which grass, trees, shrubs, etc., areplanted and which is owned by a single entity (e.g., person,corporation).

The mobile device 102 may be a smartphone, tablet computer, or othersuch device having a display, which may be a touchscreen interface. Theset of instructions 104, as a result of execution by one or moreprocessors of the mobile device 102, may cause the mobile device 102 toperform one or more operations described herein. The set of instructions104, for example, may cause the mobile device 102 to display a graphicaluser interface 122 representative of at least some of the set ofinstructions 104. A user may interact with various elements of the userinterface 122 to cause the mobile device 102 to perform operationscorresponding to the set of instructions 104. The user interface 122 maybe a component of an application or program that is accessible via anoperating system of the mobile device 102.

The user interface 122 may include a set of interface elements 124,which may be depicted as buttons, menus, scrollbars, etc., that the usermay interact with to access or edit information associated with orincluded in the set of instructions 104. The user interface 122, forinstance, includes a “current usage” element for accessing informationregarding current water usage, a “usage history” element for accessinginformation regarding historical or past water usage, a “usagescheduling” element for accessing information regarding water usagescheduling information, a “zone editor” element for editing informationregarding zones within the defined geographic region 202, and an “adddevices” element for editing information regarding devices located inthe defined geographic region 202. The user interface 122 may alsoprovide other information regarding the defined geographic region 202,such as a region image 126 showing an overhead view of the definedgeographic region 202 and that may show zones and/or devices locatedtherein, as described below. The user interface 122 may include more orfewer objects than the non-limiting examples described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

The network device 106 is a processor-based device having memory storinga set of instructions 128 that, as a result of execution by the one ormore processors of the network device 106, cause the network device 106to perform one or more operations described herein. The network device106 has one or more network adapters and is configured to wirelesslyconnect the processor-based devices (e.g., mobile device 102, set ofmoisture sensors 112) together on the LAN 116 and facilitatecommunications between the processor-based devices. For example, thenetwork device 106 may have a first network adapter and be configured,via execution of the set of instructions 128, to serve as a hub orrouter that receives communications from the set of moisture sensors 112regarding moisture measurements and transmits communications to themobile device 102. The network device 106 may also receivecommunications from the mobile device 102 for controlling devices andsend communications to the set of valves 118 and/or the set ofsprinklers 120 for controlling application of water in response. The setof instructions 126 may be organized into a single component, such as anapplication or program, and may cause the network device 106 to be aspecial-purpose device that performs as described herein.

The network device 106 may also serve as an intermediary between theserver 108 and the aforementioned devices connected to the LAN 116. Thenetwork device 106 may have a second network adapter for sending andreceiving communications to and from the server 108 based oncommunications by the network device 106 with the mobile device 102, theset of moisture sensors 112, and/or the water distribution devices 120.For instance, the network device 106 may send communications regardingmoisture measurements to the server 108 as a result of receiving acommunication from the mobile device 102. The network device 106 mayalso send communications to the water application control elementsand/or the mobile device 102 based on communications received from theserver 108. As one example, the network device 106 may receivescheduling information from the server 108 and send the schedulinginformation over the LAN 116 to the mobile device 102.

In some situations, the mobile device 102 may not be connected to theLAN 116—for instance, when the user is away from the home and connectedto the network 114. In such situations, the network device 106 mayfacilitate communications with devices connected to the LAN 116 and themobile device 102 via the server 108. In particular, the server 108 maycommunicate with the mobile device 102 via the network 114 and theserver 108 may also communicate with the network device 106 over thenetwork 114 to allow monitoring and/or control of the devices connectedto the LAN 116 while the user is away from the property.

The server 108 is a processor-based device located remotely from thedefined geographic region 202 and that stores a set of instructions 130that, as a result of execution by one or more processors of the server108, cause the server 108 to perform one or more operations describedherein. The server 108 is a cloud-based entity that communicates overthe network(s) 114 with the network device 106, the mobile device 102(if disconnected from the LAN 116), and other cloud-based entities. Theserver 108 may also be communicatively coupled to data storage 110,which may be a database or other memory storing data and/or datastructures representative of various aspects of the defined geographicregion 202 and the devices associated therewith.

The set of instructions 130 may cause the server 108 to receiveinformation from network devices 106 and/or mobile device(s) 102 overthe network 114 and process the information to perform variousoperations and tasks. The server 108, for example, may generate anefficiency model for the defined geographic region 202 based on moisturemeasurements before and after a known amount of water is applied to thedefined geographic region 202. Based at least in part on the efficiencymodel, the server 108 may generate water usage scheduling informationfor applying water to the defined geographic region 202, as describedbelow. The scheduling information, in some embodiments, may includeinformation that causes the network device 106 to transmitcommunications for causing respective water application control elementsto distribute or permit the flow of water in the defined geographicregion 202. In some embodiments, the efficiency model and/or thescheduling information may be generated by the network device 106.

The set of instructions 130 may also cause the server 108 to obtaininformation from other cloud-based entities. As one example, the server108 may obtain weather data regarding current meteorological and weatherconditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation) as well as forecastedmeteorological and weather conditions for the defined geographic region202. As a further example, the server 108 may communicate with municipalwater utility entities to obtain price scheduling and/or current waterusage information for the defined geographic region 202 (e.g., recentwater meter readings). The price scheduling information may indicateprices per gallon for water usage based on current cumulative waterusage for a defined period of time.

The set of moisture sensors 112 each include an element that measuresthe volumetric water content of soil. The moisture sensors 112 mayinclude an elongated probe portion for insertion into a depth of soil tobe measured. The moisture sensors 112 may also include a wirelesscommunication transmitter for transmitting information to the networkdevice 106 regarding measurements of soil moisture. Specifically,communications transmitted by the moisture sensors 112 may includeinformation representative of the water content of the soil beingmeasured. The wireless communication transmitter and protocols used bythe set of moisture sensors 112 is described above in detail so furtherdiscussion thereof is omitted. The set of moisture sensors 112 may alsobe configured to transmit identification information specific to eachmoisture sensor, such as an alphanumeric value or serial numberassociated with an individual moisture sensor. Such identificationinformation may be associated with each communication sent by themoisture sensors 112. The moisture sensors 112 may include arechargeable battery and may include additional features to charge ofthe battery, such as a photovoltaic solar panel or a universal serialbus port. The moisture sensors 112 may also include other sensorelements, such as a temperature sensor, a light sensor, or a humiditysensor, providing measurements regarding conditions at locations in thedefined geographic region 202 to the network device 106 as describedherein.

In some embodiments, the moisture sensors 112 may respectively include awireless communication transceiver that is configured to receivecommunications according to the foregoing communication standards andprotocols (e.g., Bluetooth, ZigBee). The moisture sensors 112 mayreceive, from the network device 106 via the transceiver, a request forthe moisture sensors 112 to provide information regarding moisturelevels measured by the moisture sensor 112. For instance, the requestmay be for the moisture sensor 112 to provide information regarding acurrent detected moisture level in the soil. In some embodiments, themoisture sensors 112 may include memory storing information regarding aplurality of moisture level measurements taken over time. The moisturesensors 112 may provide information to the network device 106 regardinga plurality of measurements taken over time. In response to the request,the moisture sensors 112 may obtain and transmit the requestedinformation regarding current detected moisture levels or a plurality ofmeasurements taken over time to the network device 106.

FIG. 2 shows a user interface screen 200 of a graphical user accordingto one or more embodiments. As shown, the user interface screen 200 maybe presented on a display of the mobile device 102 as a result ofexecution of the set of instructions 104. The user interface screen 200presents the region image 126 representing an overhead view of thedefined geographic region 202 to a user of the mobile device 102 by, forexample, interacting with one or more of the interface elements 124. Theregion image 126 may be obtained by the network device 106 and providedto the mobile device 102. The mobile device 102 may, in response to userinteraction, send location information indicating a location of thedefined geographic region 202—for instance, latitude and longitudecoordinates of the defined geographic region 202 obtained using a globalpositioning system receiver of the mobile device 102. The network device106 may send a request to the server 108 to obtain the region image 126corresponding to the defined geographic region 202 and receive, inresponse to the request, the region image 126 from the server 108, whichis displayed by the mobile device 102.

The user interface screen 200 depicts a “zone editing mode” in which theuser may define a set of zones respectively corresponding to portions ofthe defined geographic region 202 for which the user wishes to monitorand/or control water usage. In particular, the user may interact withthe user interface screen 200 to define or edit one or more zones 210within the region image 126. The user may interact with interfaceelements of the user interface to position shapes or lines 204overlaying the region image 126 to partition or allocate the regionimage 126 into a plurality of the zones 210 that each correspond to asubregion of the defined geographic region 202. Via the user interfacethe user may assign an identifier 206 to each region for which they wishto monitor and/or control water usage. Such identifiers 206 may beassigned, for example, to areas corresponding to grass or othervegetation. On the other hand, the user may not assign an identifier tosome regions on the basis that those regions correspond to a structureor concrete that does not need to be watered.

The region image 126 may be obtained from an online map repositorystoring a database of overhead images of properties. Examples of suchmap repositories include Google® maps, Microsoft Bing®, Mapbox, andMapQuest®, by way of non-limiting example. The set of instructions 104(e.g., application) executing on the processor(s) of the mobile device102 may include instructions for obtaining map data from the maprepository via middleware, such as an application programming interface(API). The user may interact with the user interface screen 200 to causethe mobile device 102 to obtain the desired region image 126, e.g., bynavigating the user interface screen 200 to display the region image 126corresponding to the defined geographic region 202. As a result ofselecting the region image 126 from the displayed map data in the userinterface screen 200, the mobile device 102 may send a communication tothe server (e.g., via the network device 106, over the network 114)instructing the server 108 to associate the region image 126 and thecorresponding location (e.g., address) in the map data with an accountof the user.

Thereafter, the user may allocate or partition portions of the regionimage 126 into a plurality of zones 210 that correspond to subregions ofthe defined geographic region 202. For instance, the user may interactwith one or more interface elements 208 to enable controls for definingnew zones in the region image 126 or editing existing zones in theregion image 126. The interface controls may enable the user to positionthe shapes or lines 204 at locations within the region image 126 todefine the plurality of zones 210. The mobile device 102 may generateinformation corresponding to the region image 126 and the plurality ofzones 210, which may be stored in memory of the mobile device 102 and/orsent to the network device 106 or server 108 for storage. Theinformation regarding the partitioning may be a data structure or dataobject including identifiers for each of the zones and informationidentifying a shape and location of each zone relative to the regionimage 126.

FIG. 3 shows a user interface screen 300 of the graphical user interfaceaccording to one or more embodiments. As shown, the user interfacescreen 300 may be presented on a display of the mobile device 102 as aresult of execution of the set of instructions 104. The user interfacescreen 300 presents an image 302 representing at least a portion of theregion image 126. In this particular example, the image 302 represents azone “B2” of the region image 126. In some embodiments, the image 302may represent some or all of the plurality of zones 210 of the regionimage 126.

The user interface screen 300 enables the user to establish locations ofdevices within respective zones of the plurality of zones 210. Forinstance, the user interface screen 300 includes an interface element304 for selecting a particular zone; a user interface element 306 foradding or detecting new devices (e.g., moisture sensors 112, water flowmeasurement devices 118, water distribution devices 120); and a userinterface element 308 for editing positions of devices within a zone.

The user interface screen 300 also includes icons representative ofpositions of devices within a zone. The user interface screen 300 mayinclude first icons 310 respectively representative of positions ofwater flow measurement devices 118, may include second icons 312respectively representative of positions of moisture sensors 112, andmay include third icons 314 respectively representative of positions ofwater distribution devices 120. The first icons 310 may indicate, e.g.,via an arrow or other such link, to which water distribution devices 120the corresponding flow measurement device 118 is connected to supplywater. The third icons 314 may have a size and shape representative ofan area of the zone to which the corresponding water distributiondevices 120 will distribute water. For instance, standard rotationalsprinklers may have associated icons that are circular in shape toillustrate a water distribution pattern thereof.

To position a device location in the zone, the user may select theinterface element 306 to add a new device or select the interfaceelement 308 to edit the position of a previously positioned device. Theuser may select a type of device to add and scan for identificationinformation of devices that are in a positioning mode. For instance, themoisture sensors 112 may include a button that causes the moisturesensor 112 to emit identification information and an indication that theuser is positioning the device in a zone. The mobile device 102 mayobtain information regarding a current location of the mobile device 102via a global positioning satellite receiver of the mobile device 102.Based on the current location information, the set of instructions 104may cause the mobile device 102 to present an icon suggesting a locationof the device within the zone on the interface portion 300. The user maythen accept the suggested position or further revise the position of theicon within the display of the mobile device 102 to reflect the actualposition of the device in the defined geographic region 202. After theuser has positioned all the icons representative of the locations of thedevices in the zone, the user may select an interface element 316confirming the positioning and/or type of devices shown in the interfaceportion 300.

FIG. 4 shows a user interface screen 400 of the graphical user interface122 according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the user interfacescreen 400 may be presented on a display of the mobile device 102 as aresult of execution of the set of instructions 104. The user interfacescreen 400 provides information regarding current water usage in thedefined geographic region 202 to help the user determine whether towater all or certain areas of the defined geographic region 202, orwhether to adjust a schedule for watering the defined geographic region202 at a future time. The user interface screen 400 may be accessiblevia user interaction with a corresponding interface element 124 of theuser interface 122 described herein.

The user interface screen 400 includes a portion 402 providinginformation regarding current water usage in the defined geographicregion 202. The portion 402, for example, includes time periodinformation 404 indicating a current time period, current usageinformation 406 indicating a total amount of water usage in the currenttime period, amount due information 408 indicating a monetary amount duefor the total amount of water usage, as well as cost information 410regarding cost per usage for different ranges. As a result ofinteraction with a corresponding interface element 124, the set ofinstructions 104 may send a request to obtain some or all of theinformation in the portion 402. The server 108 may receive the requestand obtain the desired information from the appropriate municipal waterutility and provide the information to the mobile device 102 via thenetwork 114. The portion 402 may further include a user interfaceelement 412 that the user may interact with to pay a bill. User accountinformation (e.g., account number, user name, password) may be securelystored in memory of the mobile device 102 in association with the set ofinstructions 104 to facilitate acquisition of the information in theportion 402, bill payment, and other relevant information andoperations.

The portion 402 may also include moisture information 414 regardingmoisture levels measured by the moisture sensors 112. The moistureinformation 414 may indicate zones 416 and corresponding moisture levels418 for the respective zones. For example, the moisture information 414indicates that the moisture level for the zone “F1” is “Dry.” Themoisture levels 418 may be an average or aggregated moisture level forthe respective zones 416. In some embodiments, the moisture levels 418may specify measurements from respective moisture sensors 112. Themoisture information 414 indicates that, for the zone B2 depicted inFIG. 2, the moisture level detected by sensor S1 is acceptable whereasthe moisture level detected by sensor S2 is too dry. In someembodiments, the zones 416 may instead correspond to particular sensorsand the moisture levels 418 may be specific to the particular sensors.The moisture levels 418 depicted are descriptive of a state of the soil(e.g., “dry,” “OK”), but may include other indications representative ofthe state of the soil measured such as a number, color, or emoji, by wayof non-limiting example.

The portion 402 may also indicate weather information 420 displayingcurrent and forecasted weather and meteorological conditions to assistthe user in making decisions for water usage. The weather information420 may indicate current temperature and conditions, high and lowtemperatures for the current day, forecasted conditions for the day, orforecasted temperatures and conditions for time periods in the future.The server 108 may obtain the weather information 420 from a server of aweather authority, such as the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA), in response to a request by the mobile device 102or the network device 106 to obtain the information for a localecorresponding to the defined geographic region 202.

The portion 402 may include one or more user interface elements formanaging or monitoring water usage. For example, the portion 402 shownin FIG. 4 includes a user interface element 422 for obtaining arecommended water usage schedule based on the current water usageinformation. The interface element 422 may cause the mobile device 102to send a request to the network device 106 to generate schedulinginformation regarding a recommended water usage schedule for the definedgeographic region 202 based on a set of factors. The set of factors mayinclude one or more of current detected moisture levels 418, the weatherinformation 420, cumulative water usage for a current time period (e.g.,current usage information 406), the cost information 410, and anefficiency model of the defined geographic region 202.

The network device 106 and/or the server 108 may generate the scheduleinformation which is provided to the mobile device 102 in response tothe request. The schedule information may indicate zones and areas inthe zones (e.g., moisture sensor 112 locations) to be watered, times anddates suggested for watering the respective zones and areas in thezones, and lengths of time that the zones and/or areas should bewatered. The schedule information may even suggest locations at which toplace sprinklers. In some embodiments, the schedule information mayinclude or have associated therewith control information for causingparticular water distribution elements 124 to start and stopprovisioning water at particular times and dates.

FIG. 5 shows a user interface screen 500 of the graphical user interfaceaccording to one or more embodiments. As shown, the user interfacescreen 500 may be presented on a display of the mobile device 102 as aresult of execution of the set of instructions 104. The user interfacescreen 500 provides information regarding current and historical waterusage. The user interface screen 500 may be accessible via userinteraction with a corresponding interface element 124 of the userinterface 122 described herein.

The user interface screen 500 includes a current use portion 502providing information indicating cumulative water usage for a currenttime period. For instance, for a current billing period, the cumulativewater usage indicates amounts of water used for each day, each week, orother periods of time in the current billing period. The current useportion 502 may also include a threshold 504 indicating a water usagelevel that, if the cumulative water usage exceeds, cause one or moreactions to be performed by the network device 106, the mobile device102, and/or the server 108. In some embodiments, the threshold 504 maybe a user defined water usage threshold that the user can adjust as aresult of interacting with a user interface element 506.

Non-limiting examples of the various actions that can be performedinclude causing a notification to be presented in the user interface 122or provided to another destination and adjusting or recommendingadjustments to the scheduling information to moderate water usage. Theuser may set the desired actions that are to be performed in response toexceeding the threshold(s) 504 by interacting with a user interfaceelement 508. As a result of interacting with the interface element 508,the user may associate specific actions to be performed in response tocertain thresholds 504 being exceeded—for example, transitioning to areduced usage schedule in which less water is applied to certainportions of the defined geographic region 202.

The user interface screen 500 may also include a historical use portion510 providing information indicating historical water usage over one ormore previous time periods relative to a current time period. Thehistorical use portion 510 may include other information, such as anaverage usage indication 512 of an average of mean water usage amountfor the one or more previous time periods. The historical user portion510 may also include cost thresholds 514 that indicate water usagelevels at which the cost of water usage changes. The interface screen500 may also include a user interface element 516 that a user caninteract with to obtain scheduling information for previous timeperiods—for instance, a water usage schedule for a period that was lowerthan the average usage indication 512 or a water usage schedule for aperiod that did not exceed a certain threshold 514.

FIG. 6 shows a user interface screen 600 of the graphical user interface122 according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the user interfacescreen 600 may be presented on a display of the mobile device 102 as aresult of execution of the set of instructions 104. The user interfacescreen 600 presents scheduling information regarding a schedule forwater usage in the defined geographic region 202. The user interfacescreen 600 may be accessible via user interaction with a correspondinginterface element 124 of the user interface 122 described herein.

The user interface screen 600 includes a schedule 602 indicating datesand times at which zones and/or portions of zones are to be wateredaccording to one or more embodiments. The schedule 602 may be providedby the mobile device 102 based on schedule information received from thenetwork device 106 and/or the server 108. The schedule 602 may includedates 604 and scheduled water usage 606 indicating the times that zonesand/or portions thereof are to be watered. In some embodiments, thescheduled water usage 606 may be generated by the network device 106 orthe server 108 based on an efficiency model of the defined geographicregion 202, as described herein. The scheduled water usage 606 may begenerated based on other factors as well, such as current and forecastedweather conditions, moisture levels detected by the set of moisturesensors 112, previous water usage, and cost information, by way ofnon-limiting example.

The scheduled water usage 606 may specify, for a given area (e.g., zone,moisture sensor 112) and for each day, one or more times at which wateris scheduled to be applied to the given area and a duration for whichthe water is scheduled to be applied to the given area. In someembodiments, the scheduled water usage 606 may specify an amount ofwater to be applied to each given area beginning at a certain time orwithin a window of time. In some embodiments, the user may enter orconfirm the scheduled water usage 606 via the user interface 122 basedon a recommended schedule provided by the network device 106 and/or theserver 108.

In some embodiments, the network device 106 may store in memory controlinformation corresponding to the scheduled water usage 606 forcontrolling one or more water distribution devices 120 according to theschedule information. For example, the network device 106 may storecontrol information that causes one or more processors of the networkdevice 106 to send a communication at a time specified in the controlinformation to a valve associated with a particular zone causing thevalve to permit the flow of water to one or more sprinklers in the zone.After a period of time specified in the control information, the networkdevice 106 may then send another communication instructing the valve tostop distribution of water.

In some implementations, some or all of the water distribution devices120 may not be remotely controlled by the network device 106. In suchimplementations, the network device 106 and/or the server 108 may send acommunication to the mobile device 102 causing a notification to bepresented by the mobile device 102 indicating that a zone or portionthereof should be watered. In some embodiments, the informationregarding the scheduled water usage 606 may be stored in the memory ofthe mobile device 102 and cause the mobile device 102 to present anotification indicating that a particular zone or portion thereof isscheduled to be watered.

The schedule 602 may also include recommendations 608 generated by thenetwork device 106 or the server 108 recommending modifications to thescheduled water usage 606 based on a variety of factors. Therecommendations 608 may be regarding suggested adjustments to thescheduled water usage 606. The recommendations 608 may includesuggestions to increase or decrease water application within a zone orportion thereof, or suggestions regarding placement locations ofsprinklers and/or moisture sensors 112. The recommendations 608 may bebased on weather forecasts, updates to the efficiency model for thedefined geographic region 202, changes in water usage cost, or otherfactors. The user may adopt some or all of the recommendations viainteraction with user interface elements on the interface screen 600.

The user interface screen 600 may also include actions 610 that thesystem (e.g., mobile device 102, network device 106, server 108) canperform in connection with information provided in the schedule 602. Theactions 610 may include a user interface element 612 for adjusting thescheduled water usage 606 by, for instance, adjusting a duration, time,or day for which a zone or portion thereof is watered.

The interface screen 600 may include other user interface elements forperforming other actions. In some embodiments, a user interface element614 may be provided for remotely controlling one or more waterdistribution elements 120 to irrigate the defined geographic region 202.As one example, in an implementation where a valve is remotelycontrollable, a user may interact with the interface element 614 tocause the network device 106 to send a communication to the valvecausing the valve to permit the flow of water to a set of sprinklers atthe present time or a particular time in the future. The interfacescreen 600 may include an interface element 616 for performingefficiency testing for the defined geographic region 202. The user mayinteract with the interface element 616 to cause the network device 106to obtain a plurality of soil moisture measurements from at least someof the set of moisture sensors 112 to update or generate an efficiencymodel for the defined geographic region 202. Efficiency testing mayinclude automatically or manually applying water to the definedgeographic region between successive measurements of the plurality ofsoil moisture measurements.

FIG. 7 shows a method 700 of generating schedule information forapplication of water to a defined geographic region. The method 700 maybe performed by one or more systems of the environment 100. In someembodiments, the method 700 may be performed by the network device 106.In some embodiments, the method 700 may be performed by the server 108.The method 700 may be performed in connection with operations by themobile device 102—for example, in response to receiving communicationsinitiated by the mobile device 102. The method 700 is not intended toinclude all operations performed by systems in the environment 100 and,as such, may include additional operations not described or depicted inthe method 700 (or in the associated methods described herein). In someinstances, some operations described in the method 700 (or theassociated methods described herein) may be omitted without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure. Some or all of the operationsdescribed with respect to the method 700 may be initiated in response tocommunications sent by the mobile device 102, such as by interactingwith the user interface 122.

The method 700 includes receiving 702 a set of first moisturemeasurements from the set of moisture sensors 112 at a first time.Receiving 702, in some embodiments, may include the network device 106sending a request to all or specific ones of the set of moisture sensors112 and receiving, in response to the request, the set of first moisturemeasurements. In some embodiments, the set of moisture sensors 112 mayperiodically provide moisture measurements to the network device 106.The first moisture measurements are received as wireless communicationsthat include information indicating a moisture level or content of soilas detected by individual ones of the set of moisture sensors 112. Thefirst moisture measurements may include or have associated therewithadditional information, such as a sensor identifier identifying eachsensor, or environmental conditions detected by the moisture sensor 112(e.g., temperature, ambient light level, humidity). Receiving 702 theset of first moisture measurements may be part of operations forgenerating an efficiency model of the defined geographic region 202—forexample, in response to user interaction with the interface element 616.

The method 700 also includes obtaining 704 information that indicates anamount of water applied to zones (or portions thereof) in the definedgeographic region 202 over a first period of time after the first time.Obtaining 704 the information indicating the amount of water applied mayinclude obtaining a first reading from a water meter or water flowmeasurement device 118 regarding an amount of water usage. Then, wateris applied to the defined geographic region 202 for a given period oftime or until the water flow measurement device 118 indicates that acertain amount of water is applied.

In some embodiments where the water distribution devices 120 areremotely controlled, obtaining 704 the information may includecontrolling, by the network device 106, the water distribution devices120 to apply water to one or more zones in the defined geographic region202 for a given period of time or until the water distribution device(s)120 indicate that a certain amount of water has been applied. The waterdistribution device(s) 120 may then to cause the water distributiondevice(s) 120 to stop provisioning water to the defined geographicregion. The network device 106 may then obtain a second reading from thewater flow measurement device(s) 106 and determine an amount of waterapplied over the given period of time based on a difference between thefirst reading and the second reading. This may be repeated for each zoneand/or water flow measurement device 118 associated with the definedgeographic region.

In some embodiments, obtaining 704 the information may be performed in aprocess by which the user enters the information in prompts andinstructions on the user interface 122. In some embodiments, theinformation regarding amount of water flow may be obtained from amunicipal water utility service or a device provided thereby. Forexample, the water flow measurement device 118 may be a device installedby a municipal water utility service that can communicate with themunicipal water service and/or interface with devices on the LAN 116.

The method 700 further includes receiving 706 a set of second moisturemeasurements from the set of moisture sensors 112 at a second time afterthe first period of time. The set of second moisture measurements may bereceived 706 in a manner substantially similar to receiving 702 the setof first moisture measurements, so further discussion thereof isomitted. The set of second moisture measurements are obtained at a timeshortly after the application of the amount of water to the location ofthe moisture sensor obtaining the moisture measurements. For example,the second moisture measurement for a given moisture sensor may be takenwithin 5 minutes after application of the amount of water to thelocation of the soil in which the moisture sensor is positioned.

The method 700 also includes generating 708 an efficiency model of thedefined geographic region 202 based on the set of first moisturemeasurements, the set of second moisture measurements, and theinformation indicating amounts of water applied over the first period oftime. The efficiency model is a data structure representative of aresponse of soil at various locations in the defined geographic region202 to the application of amounts of water. The efficiency model mayinclude, for each location, an array of numeric values representative ofan efficiency of the soil to absorb water. Each of the set of numericvalues may be associated with information indicating environmental andcircumstantial conditions at the time the efficiency measurements wereobtained. Non-limiting examples of such environmental conditions mayinclude a time of day, a time of year (e.g., month, season),temperature, humidity, ambient light level, and weather conditions.

The efficiency model may indicate that certain areas of the definedgeographic region need less water than other areas. The efficiency modelmay also indicate that some areas may need less water based on currentenvironmental and circumstantial conditions. For example, some areas ofa yard may receive more direct sunlight in a day during some portions ofthe year than at others; accordingly, the efficiency of such areas maybe less during those periods of longer sun than at others. Other factorsand conditions may similarly affect the efficiency for different zonesor areas of the defined geographic region 202.

The method 700 includes generating 710 schedule information indicatingfuture periods of time at which water is to be applied to areas in thedefined geographic region 202 based on the efficiency model. Theschedule information may be generated by any appropriate system of theenvironment 100, such as the network device 106 or the server 108. Theschedule information may include at least some of the informationdepicted described with respect to the schedule 602 of FIG. 6 andelsewhere herein. The schedule information may specify portions of thedefined geographic region to be watered and, for each portion, times anddurations for watering. In some embodiments, the schedule informationincludes control information for causing particular water distributiondevices 120 to apply water to the portions of the defined geographicregion at the times and for the duration specified.

A problem experienced in connection with irrigation is that some areasretain or absorb water differently and so it can be difficult to accountfor such differences in efficiency of the soil. Some areas of a lawn,for example, may have different characteristics than others that affecthow they retain or absorb water, such as different soil properties,different drainage properties, different exposure to sunlight, and soforth. The schedule information generated based on the efficiency modelhelps to address the foregoing issues regarding differences inefficiency at different locations of a defined geographic region byproviding guidance on how to appropriately water the lawn and reduce thelikelihood of over or under watering.

In some embodiments, a plurality of efficiency models may be generatedby performing the operations 702, 704, 706 one or more additional times.Each of the efficiency models may correspond to a different set offactors or conditions present at the time the moisture measurements aremade. In such embodiments, generating scheduling information based on aparticular efficiency model that most closely resembles or matchescurrent conditions. This helps to provide a schedule for water usagethat is appropriate to environmental conditions and other considerationspresent at the current time.

At 712 of the method 700, the schedule information is sent over anetwork to one or more other devices. In some embodiments, the server108 may send the schedule information to the network device 106 and/ormobile device 102. In some embodiments, the network device 106 may sendthe schedule information to the mobile device 102. The network device106 may also send communications to one or more water distributiondevices 120 to distribute or apply water to the specified portions ofthe defined geographic region 202.

FIG. 8 shows a method 800 for generating an efficiency model accordingto one or more embodiments. The method 800 may be performed as part ofor in association with generating 708 the efficiency model of thedefined geographic region 202 of the method 700. The method 800 may beperformed by one or more systems of the environment 100, as describedabove with respect to the method 700. The method 800 is not intended toinclude all operations performed by systems in the environment 100 and,as such, may include additional operations not described or depicted inthe method 800. Some or all of the operations described with respect tothe method 800 may be initiated in response to communications sent bythe mobile device 102, such as by interacting with the user interface122.

The method 800 includes determining 802 differences between the moisturemeasurements received. In particular, for each of the set of moisturesensors 112 for which moisture measurements are obtained (i.e., in 702and 706 of the method 700), a difference is determined betweencorresponding measurements of the set of second moisture measurementsand the set of first moisture measurements. The difference may bedetermined as a numerical value representing a difference in moisturecontent in a given location in the soil at different times before andafter application of a given amount of water. This moisture differenceindicates an amount of water that is absorbed into a depth of the soilat which the moisture sensor is detecting moisture content.

The method 800 proceeds by calculating 804, for each of the set ofmoisture sensors 112, efficiency metrics for locations of the definedgeographic region 202. Each of the efficiency metrics may correspond toa location of a corresponding one of the set of moisture sensors 112.The efficiency metric provides a numerical value particular to a soillocation that represents a characteristic of the soil and associatedenvironmental factors to absorb and retain moisture as a result ofapplication of a given amount of water. The efficiency metric may beobtained by dividing, for each moisture sensor, the moisture differencedetermined in 802 by an amount of water applied to the definedgeographic region 202 or a portion thereof in 704 of the method 700. Forinstance, a difference in measured moisture detected by a moisturesensor S1 in FIG. 3 may be divided by an amount of water detected by awater flow measurement device 118 associated with the moisture sensor S1between the moisture measurements by the moisture sensor S1. Otheramounts of water may be used to determine this efficiency metric, suchas an amount of water applied to an entire zone in which the moisturesensor is located or an amount of water applied to the definedgeographic region 202 as a whole.

Next, the method 800 involves associating 806 the calculated efficiencymetrics with corresponding locations in the defined geographic region.In particular, the system (e.g., network device 106, server 108) obtainsthe region image 126 of the defined geographic region 202 and determinesa location of each of the set of moisture sensors 112 in the regionimage 126 according to a method discussed below with respect to FIG. 9and elsewhere herein. A data structure associating the locationdetermined for each sensor with a sensor identifier particular to thesensor among the set of moisture sensors 112. Respective efficiencymetrics calculated in 804 are associated in memory (e.g., with the datastructure) with the corresponding moisture sensor of the set of moisturesensors 112. As a result, individual moisture sensors of the set ofmoisture sensors 112 has information associated therewith regarding aportion of the defined geographic region 202 in which each individualmoisture sensor is located.

In some embodiments, the data structure may be a one-dimensional arrayhaving elements corresponding to respective ones of the set of moisturesensors 112. Each element of the array may be referenced to one or morecorresponding memory locations storing location information, efficiencymetrics, and other information associated with the respective moisturesensors 112. In some embodiments, the data structure may be atwo-dimensional array having a first dimension storing identifiers forthe respective ones of the moisture sensors 112 and a second dimensionstoring information associated with the respective moisture sensors(e.g., location, efficiency metric).

At 808, each efficiency metric for locations in the defined geographicregion 202 may be associated with one or more environmental conditionsor other factors that may affect the ability of soil to absorb or retainwater. One factor may be a temperature associated with the definedgeographic region 202 over a time period in which the moisturemeasurements were performed. High temperatures may cause water toevaporate more quickly than more moderate temperatures, thus affectingthe efficiency determined for locations in the defined geographic region202. The temperature may be measured by one or more of the set ofmoisture sensors 112, provided as input by a user, or obtained from aweather or meteorological authority (e.g., National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration, Accuweather®). Another factor may be ambientlight level detected by the set of moisture sensors 112 when themoisture measurements were obtained. Yet another factor may be weatherconditions at the time the moisture measurements were obtained. Suchweather conditions may be obtained from a recognized meteorological orweather authority, or provided as input to the user interface 122 by theuser. Other factors include wind, humidity, time of day, time of year(e.g., month, season), and amounts of recent precipitation (e.g., withinlast 2 days), by way of non-limiting example.

The efficiency metrics for each of the set of moisture sensors 112 maybe associated with one or more factors described above that may affectthe ability of soil to absorb or retain water. In some instances, thesame information regarding a factor, such as time of day, may be storedin association with a set of efficiency metrics for the definedgeographic region 202. In some instances, different information, such asdetected ambient light level, may be stored in association withefficiency metrics for corresponding moisture sensors. Thus, a pluralityof efficiency models may be generated each corresponding to a differentfactor or set of factors. Efficiency models for the defined geographicregion 202 may be applied having factors that match or most closelyresemble current conditions for the factor or set of factors. Efficiencymodels may be updated or added occasionally to account for efficienciesunder different conditions.

FIG. 9 shows a method 900 for registering devices and systems in theenvironment 100 according to one or more embodiments. The method 900 maybe performed as part of or before the method 700. The method 900 may beperformed by one or more systems of the environment 100, such as thenetwork device 106 or the server 108. The method 900 is not intended toinclude all operations performed by systems in the environment 100 and,as such, may include additional operations not described or depicted inthe method 900 or may omit some operations thereof. Some or all of theoperations described with respect to the method 900 may be initiated inresponse to communications sent by the mobile device 102, such as byinteracting with the user interface 122.

The method 900 includes receiving 902 information identifying aplurality of zones 210 in the defined geographic region 202. The usermay interact with the user interface screen 200 to define or edit aplurality of zones 210 in the defined geographic region 202 by, forexample, positioning lines and/or shapes 204 defining the zones. Then,in response to a user input, the mobile device 102 may send acommunication to the network device 106 and/or the server 108 includinginformation representative of the shapes, dimensions, and locations ofzones defined by the user in the region image 126. The network device106 or the server 108 may obtain the region image 126 and identify theshapes, dimensions, and locations of the zones in the region image 126based on the communication received. The information may be sent by themobile device 102 and received in 902 by the network device 106 and/orthe server 108.

Next, the method 900 may include receiving 904 information originatingfrom the mobile device 102 indicating locations of the waterdistribution devices 120 in the defined geographic region 202. In someinstances, the information indicating the locations may be inlatitudinal/longitudinal format—for instance, the user may position awater distribution device 120 and interact with the user interfacescreen 300 to cause the mobile device 102 to generate locationinformation (e.g., via a global positioning system receiver)representing a position of the water distribution device 120 placed. Insome instances, the information indicating the locations may be in theform of coordinates of a location in the region image 126 itself—forinstance, the user may interact with the user interface screen 300 toplace a third icon 310 in a location of the region image 126corresponding to the placed water distribution device 120. Theinformation received in 904 may also include or have associatedtherewith information identifying the water distribution device(s) 120placed. The information may be sent by the mobile device 102 andreceived in 904 by the network device 106 and/or the server 108.

The method 900 may further include receiving 906 information regardingwater flow measurement devices 118 to be associated with the definedgeographic region 202. The information received in 906 may indicatewhich water flow measurement devices 118 measure an amount of waterflowing to a corresponding set of water distribution devices 120. Forexample, the information received in 906 may indicate that a meter M1(see FIG. 3) measures the amount of water provided to distributiondevices D1 and D2. The information received in 906 may also include orhave associated therewith information identifying the water flowmeasurement device(s) 118 being registered. The information may be sentby the mobile device 102 and received in 906 by the network device 106and/or the server 108.

The method 900 may also include receiving 908 information indicatinglocations of the set of moisture sensors 112 in the defined geographicregion 202. The information indicating locations of the set of moisturesensors 112 may have the format described above with respect toreceiving 904 the locations of the water distribution devices 120. In908, the information may be received from the mobile device 102. Forinstance, information indicating a location of a given moisture sensormay be generated by the mobile device 102 based on information receivedby a global positioning system receiver of the mobile device 102. A usermay interact with the user interface 122 to provide an input confirmingthe location of each of the set of moisture sensors 112 as they areplaced.

In 910, the network device 106 and/or the server 108 may associate theinformation received in 902, 904, and 906 with locations or areas in thedefined geographic region 202. The region image 126 may be obtained andthe system (e.g., network device 106, server 108) may associate theinformation received in 902 with areas in the region image 126 to definethe plurality of zones 210. The system may also associate theinformation received in 904 and 908 regarding locations of the waterdistribution devices 120 with locations in the defined geographic region202. As one example, the information received in 904 and 908 may beassociated with locations in the region image 126. The informationreceived in 906 may also be associated with particular zones of thedefined geographic region 202 or with corresponding water distributiondevices 120.

FIG. 10 shows a method 1000 for generating schedule informationaccording to one or more embodiments. The method 1000 may be performedas part of generating 710 the schedule information of the method 700.The method 1000 may be performed by one or more systems of theenvironment 100, such as the network device 106 or the server 108. Themethod 1000 is not intended to include all operations performed bysystems in the environment 100 and, as such, may include additionaloperations not described or depicted in the method 1000 or may omit someoperations thereof. Some or all of the operations described with respectto the method 1000 may be initiated in response to communications sentby the mobile device 102, such as by interacting with the user interface122.

The method 1000 includes obtaining 1002 weather information for thedefined geographic region 202. The weather information includesinformation indicating forecasted weather and meteorological conditionsfor the defined geographic region 202 for a future period of time. Theweather information may include information regarding forecastedprecipitation, temperatures, wind, and cloud cover, by way ofnon-limiting example. The server 108 or network device 106 may obtainthe weather information from a remote server of a weather authority(e.g., NOAA, Accuweather®).

The method 1000 may further include receiving 1004 a set of thirdmoisture measurements from the set of moisture sensors 112. The set ofthird moisture measurements may be obtained at a time after theefficiency model is generated in 708 of the method 700. In someembodiments, the set of third moisture measurements received in 1004 mayinclude or have associated therewith additional measurements obtained bythe set of moisture sensors 112, such as temperature measurements andambient light measurements. The set of third moisture measurements mayinclude a measurement obtained by some or all of the set of moisturesensors 112.

At 1006, the method 1000 may include generating the schedule informationindicating times at which and durations for which portions of thedefined geographic region 202 are to be watered. The scheduleinformation may be based on the set of third moisture measurements andthe efficiency model. For example, the network device 106 may determinebased on a set of efficiency metrics for a first zone in the definedgeographic region 202, that a certain amount of water should be appliedto the first zone in the morning for a particular duration. The networkdevice 106 may determine that a second zone currently has sufficientmoisture to last into the afternoon, but should be watered in theevening for a longer duration. As another example, the scheduleinformation may indicate that watering is not necessary for a particularperiod of time as a result of a high likelihood of precipitation over aperiod of time. In some embodiments, the network device 106 may generateschedule information specifying amounts of water to be applied to areaswithin zones or areas extending across adjacent zones to improveefficiency.

The schedule information may be generated according to a particularefficiency metric corresponding to conditions detected for areas in thedefined geographic region 202. For instance, an efficiency metric in theefficiency model corresponding to a certain location may be selectedbased on current or forecasted temperatures.

The schedule information may include control information for causing thenetwork device 106 to send communications to one or more waterdistribution devices 120 at times specified in the schedule information.The communications sent by the network device 106 to the waterdistribution devices 120 may cause the water distribution devices 120 totransition to a different state permitting or preventing the flow ofwater therethrough.

The method 1000 may be performed periodically to update the scheduleinformation based on changes to the efficiency model or changes inforecasted weather. In some embodiments, the server 108 may generate theschedule information according to the foregoing method 1000, which theserver 108 may then send to the network device 106 and/or the mobiledevice 102 over the network 114.

FIG. 11 shows a method 1100 for operation using water usage thresholdsaccording to one or more embodiments. The method 1100 may be performedby one or more appropriate systems of the environment 100 and inconnection with performance of the method 700.

The method 1100 includes obtaining 1004 water usage and cost informationfor the defined geographic region 202. The network device 106 or server108 may obtain the water usage and cost information from a server of amunicipal water authority by, for example, submitting a request for suchinformation in connection with account information of a user. The waterusage and cost information may indicate an amount of water used in thedefined geographic region 202 for a current billing cycle as well ascost information indicating per unit costs of water usage for variousranges of water usage. As described with respect to FIG. 11 andelsewhere herein, the cost information may specify different coststructures for different cumulative amounts water usage for the definedgeographic region 202.

The method also includes determining 1104 a threshold for the definedgeographic region 202. The threshold may correspond to the threshold 504or the cost thresholds 514 discussed with respect to FIG. 5 andelsewhere herein. The water usage threshold may be set by the user ormay be set by a user via the interface element 506, or may beautomatically determined by the network device 106 or the server 108based on usage history and/or cost structures for water usage. Forexample, a threshold may be set corresponding to a standard deviationfrom an average amount of water usage for the user and for the time ofyear.

Next, at 1106, the method 1100 involves determining whether a currentusage amount exceeds the threshold set in 1104. The usage amount may bea cost for a billing period or a cumulative amount of water used for acertain period of time. If the usage amount does not exceed thethreshold, the method 1100 proceeds to obtaining 1108 additional waterusage information at a later time, and determining 1106 once againwhether the water usage exceeds the threshold set based on the waterusage information.

As a result of determining that the current usage amount exceeds thethreshold, the method 1100 proceeds to causing 1110 transmission of anotification to the mobile device 102 regarding a usage violation. Thenotification may be transmitted to the mobile device 102 by the server108 over the network 114 or by the network device 106 over the LAN 116.The notification may notify or warn the user that a current usage levelexceeds a particular threshold and may present options orrecommendations for adjusting the schedule 602 accordingly. By settingand adjusting thresholds and presenting notifications to a userregarding usage levels, the user can be automatically warned aboutexcessive usage without having to access a website of a municipal waterutility or other such provider.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patentapplications and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of thevarious patents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a computer system over a network,first moisture measurements from a set of moisture sensors indicatingamounts of moisture measured at first locations in a defined geographicregion at a first time; determining, by the computer system, an amountof water applied to the defined geographic region over a first period oftime after the first time; receiving, by the computer system over thenetwork, second moisture measurements from the set of moisture sensorsindicating amounts of moisture measured at the first locations in thedefined geographic region at a second time after the first period oftime; generating, by the computer system, an efficiency model of thedefined geographic region based on the set of first moisturemeasurements, the set of second moisture measurements, and the amount ofwater applied; generating, by the computer system, schedule informationindicating future periods of time at which water is to be applied toareas in the defined geographic region based on the efficiency model;and sending the schedule information over the network.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving information defining a pluralityof zones of the defined geographic region and information indicating thefirst locations of the set of moisture sensors; and associating, inmemory of the computer system, the first locations of each of the set ofmoisture sensors and the information defining the plurality of zoneswith areas in a region image corresponding to the defined geographicregion.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivinginformation identifying a plurality of zones of the defined geographicregion and information indicating second locations of a set of waterdistribution devices in the defined region, wherein the amount of wateris applied by the set of water distribution devices.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the efficiency model is generated based on differences,for each of the set of sensors, between corresponding measurements ofthe set of second moisture measurements and the set of first moisturemeasurements, and based on the amount of water applied over the periodof time.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining weatherforecast information for the defined geographic region; receiving, bythe computer system over the network, third moisture measurements fromthe set of moisture sensors indicating the amounts of moisture measuredat the first locations in the defined geographic region at a third timeafter the second time; and generating the schedule information based onthe efficiency model, the weather forecast information, and the thirdmoisture measurements.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduleinformation includes instructions for a network device connected to asecond network to transmit a communication at a defined time causing oneor more devices to apply water to the defined geographic region, andinstructions for the network device to transmit a communication at asecond defined time causing the one or more devices to stop applyingwater to the defined geographic region.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving a communication indicating amounts ofwater applied in the defined geographic region at one or more secondperiods of time after the first period of time; storing, in memory,current cumulative usage information representative of the amounts ofwater applied at the one or more second periods of time; andtransmitting, to a second computing system over the network, anotification as a result of current cumulative usage exceeding a usagethreshold defined in the memory.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining, for each zone of the plurality of zones, ausage threshold based on the efficiency model and cumulative usageinformation representative of the amounts of water applied at one ormore second periods of time after the first period of time, wherein thescheduling information provides a schedule of water usage below theusage threshold.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a usage thresholdbased on the efficiency model and cumulative usage informationrepresentative of the amounts of water applied at one or more secondperiods of time after the first period of time; receiving acommunication indicating amounts of water applied in the definedgeographic region at one or more second periods of time after the firstperiod of time; and transmitting, to a second computing system over thenetwork, a communication indicating a violation of a water usagerestriction as a result of determining that the amounts of water appliedat the one or more second periods of time exceed the usage threshold.10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by thecomputer system, over the network, third moisture measurements from theset of moisture sensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured atthe first locations in the defined geographic region at a third timeafter the second time; and sending a communication causing a secondamount of water to be applied to the defined geographic region inresponse to receiving the third moisture measurements.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the efficiency model includes a plurality of efficiencymetrics for the first locations in the defined geographic region, theefficiency model being a data structure representative of a response ofsoil at the first locations in the defined geographic region to theapplication of amounts of water
 12. A system, comprising: one or moreprocessors; a first network adapter configured to communicate over afirst network; and memory storing a set of instructions that, as aresult of execution by the one or more processors, cause the system to:receive, via the first network adapter, first moisture measurements by aset of moisture sensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at firstlocations in a defined geographic region at a first time; determine anamount of water applied to the defined geographic region over a periodof time after the first time; receive, via the first network adapter,second moisture measurements from the set of moisture sensors indicatingthe amounts of moisture measured at the first locations in the definedgeographic region at a second time after the period of time; obtainschedule information indicating future periods of time at which water isto be applied to areas in the defined geographic region based on anefficiency model of the defined geographic region, the efficiency modelbeing generated based on the set of first moisture measurements, the setof second moisture measurements, and the amount of water applied; andsend the schedule information to a mobile device over the first network.13. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a second network adapterconfigured to communicate over a second network, wherein the memorystores further instructions that, as a result of execution by the one ormore processors, cause the system to: receive, from the mobile deviceover the first network, location information identifying a location ofthe defined geographic region; and send, over the second network, arequest including the location information to a remote server to obtaina region image of the defined geographic region.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the instructions, as a result of execution by the one ormore processors, further cause the system to: receive, from the mobiledevice over the first network, a communication including informationdefining a plurality of zones in the defined geographic region, andinformation indicating locations of one or more devices in the definedgeographic region; and define, based on the communication, areas in theregion image corresponding to the plurality of zones and devicelocations in the region image corresponding to the locations of the oneor more devices.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions,as a result of execution by the one or more processors, further causethe system to generate the efficiency model based on differences, foreach of the set of sensors, between corresponding measurements of theset of second moisture measurements and the set of first moisturemeasurements, and based on the amount of water applied over the periodof time
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory stores furtherinstructions that, as a result of execution by the one or moreprocessors, cause the system to: obtain weather forecast information forthe defined geographic region; receive, over the network, third moisturemeasurements from the set of moisture sensors indicating the amounts ofmoisture measured at the first locations in the defined geographicregion at a third time after the second time; and generate the scheduleinformation based on the efficiency model, the weather forecastinformation, and the third moisture measurements.
 17. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, as aresult of execution by the one or more processors, cause the system to:transmit a communication, over the first network, at a defined timespecified in the scheduling information to one or more waterdistribution devices to apply water to the defined geographic region,and transmit a communication at a second defined time specified in thescheduling information to stop applying water to the defined geographicregion.
 18. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a second networkadapter configured to communicate over a second network, wherein thememory stores further instructions that, as a result of execution by theone or more processors, cause the system to: send, to a remote serverover the second network, a request for the schedule information, therequest including information regarding the first moisture measurements,the second moisture measurement, and the amount of water applied to thegeographic region over the period of time; and receive, over the secondnetwork, the schedule information from the remote server in response tothe request.
 19. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions, as aresult of execution by the one or more processors, further cause thesystem to calculate a moisture differential based on the set of firstmoisture measurements and the set of second moisture measurements,generate an efficiency model based on the moisture differential and theamount of water applied, and generate the schedule information based onthe efficiency model.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring instructions that are executable on one or more processors of asystem to cause the system to perform operations including: receiving,by the system over a network, first moisture measurements by a set ofmoisture sensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at firstlocations in a defined geographic region at a first time; determining,by the system, an amount of water applied to the defined geographicregion over a period of time after the first time; receiving, by thesystem over the network, second moisture measurements from the set ofmoisture sensors indicating amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a second time after theperiod of time; generating, by the system, an efficiency model of thedefined geographic region based on the set of first moisturemeasurements, the set of second moisture measurements, and the amount ofwater applied; generating, by the system, schedule informationindicating future periods of time at which water is to be applied toareas in the defined geographic region based on the efficiency model;and sending the schedule information over the network to a mobiledevice.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20,wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the system to:obtain information defining a plurality of zones of the definedgeographic region and information indicating the first locations of theset of moisture sensors; and associate, in memory of the computersystem, the first locations of each of the set of moisture sensors andthe information defining the plurality of zones with areas in a regionimage corresponding to the defined geographic region.
 22. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein theinstructions are executable to further cause the system to: receive,over the network, third moisture measurements from the set of moisturesensors indicating the amounts of moisture measured at the firstlocations in the defined geographic region at a third time after thesecond time; and send a communication that causes a second amount ofwater to be applied to the defined geographic region in response toreceiving the third moisture measurements.